Master carver and teacher Renata Tane (Ngāti Rēhia) is calling for the return of around 70-90 carving chisels that were stolen from NorthTec’s Kerikeri campus – Te Pou o Manako in mid-April.
In a statement, Tane said some of the chisels that were stolen had a significant connection to him including ones that once belonged to his grand-uncle, and a set he received during his time training at the prestigious Te Puia Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Rotorua.
“All the chisels have carried my blood, sweat and tears over the past 18 years of my career – not to mention all the pieces that were created with them which form the part of that bond and history.”
Tane said the loss of his taonga is like “having my fingers cut off”.
“Losing your blades is like losing your whole hand, or your fingers at least.
“All those tupuna that I’ve carved, all those atua I’ve portrayed within a carved form, all those stories that I’ve made – all have significance in terms of their connection to those chisels.”
He has been blown away by the support from his local community who have donated tools and money to replace what was taken, but he said the stolen chisels had personal value and carry their own tapu.
“I’m asking that whoever has taken them [to] return them as soon as possible – or if anyone may know something about their whereabouts, that they come forward.”
Anyone with information about the theft, or whereabouts of the chisels, could contact the Kerikeri Police Station.
Glossary:
taonga – property, goods, possessions
tupuna – ancestor
atua – god, deity
tapu – sacred